Caught In The Act
by heartofawriter28
Summary: A short little one shot set in Catching Fire. Haymitch and Effie forget that Katniss and Peeta actually wander out of their rooms sometimes.


**Okay, so this is my first official dive into writing Hunger Games fanfiction, so don't be too hard on me. I'm planning a multi-chapter fic, but for now, here's this short little one shot. Sorry it's not actual smut, but I am not allowed to nor am I quite comfortable with writing it right now.**

Victory Tour was hell for District 12's team every year, each one a painful reminder of the children they had failed to save. But this year was worse for the simple fact that the two kids they _had_ managed to save were being thrown in an arena again, and there was nothing they could do about it. Just thinking about Katniss and Peeta having to fight for their lives again was enough to bring tears to Effie Trinket's eyes as she tried to focus on the speeches the kids were supposed to give in the various districts.

She sighed quietly, running a hand through her blonde curls in frustration. She'd abandoned her wig hours earlier and had long since scrubbed her face of the layers of makeup she used as a shield against the world. She glanced at the clock, the garish green numbers telling her it was well past two in the morning. The escort bit her lip lightly, debating her options. She could either continue working on the children's speeches until she finally passed out from exhaustion or she could get up and see if Haymitch was awake.

Letting another soft sigh escape her lips, she stood and slipped on her pink silk dressing gown before stepping out into the hallway and heading in the direction of Haymitch's room. There was no light coming from beneath the door, but she knew that didn't mean he was asleep. She carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open, only to find that he wasn't in his room. A frown slowly spread across her face, and she turned to leave the room. She felt her way down the hall to the living room where she could glimpse the soft light of the television.

"Haymitch?" she said softly, spotting the victor slumped on the couch. He looked up when she spoke, and his eyes seemed clear from where she was, so she was fairly confident that he wasn't drunk for once.

"Go back to bed Princess." he muttered, turning back to the television that showed nothing but blue light. She stepped further into the room, moving until she was standing at the end of the couch.

"Come with me." she challenged quietly. He looked back up at her, eyeing her up and down as she slowly undid the belt of her dressing gown and let it fall to the ground.

Her nightgown was a deep red, made of silk with black lace around the hem and neckline. It was a low cut little thing with thin straps that barely held it up. His eyes darkened immediately upon seeing it, and he stood up so fast she was nearly afraid he would get whiplash. It didn't take long for him to get in front of her, and he immediately captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Her hands tangled in his hair, responding to his kiss eagerly. When his hands gripped the back of her thighs, she immediately moved her hands to his shoulders and responded to his obvious desire to lift her by hopping upwards and locking her legs around his hips.

She let her head fall back as he moved to leave a trail of hot kisses down her throat. Her hands tangled in his hair once more, and she moaned as he nipped at her pulse point. One of his hands remained on her back, making sure she wouldn't fall, while the other was slowly inching its way up her leg with the obvious intent to sneak under her nightgown.

Effie let her eyes close for a brief moment, and when she opened them again, she was staring at the horrified faces of Katniss and Peeta. She gasped, gripping Haymitch's shoulders tighter as a reflex.

" _Haymitch_!" she hissed. Obviously he didn't understand what she meant because he snickered.

"We haven't even started yet Princess." he teased.

"Dear God, I need bleach for my eyes and my brain!" Katniss shrieked, finally catching his attention. Haymitch immediately scowled and let her down, instinctively hiding her from view even though there was nothing immodest about her at that particular moment.

"What the hell are you two doing up?" he growled, glaring at their two victors.

"Getting traumatized." Katniss moaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Uh, we just, uh...couldn't sleep, and...we wanted to watch a movie, so, we, uh...were gonna come in here to...do that. But, uh, we're gonna go back...to Katniss's room now." Peeta stammered, his face red. He refused to look his mentor in the eyes, which prompted Haymitch to roll his.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." he mocked as Effie leaned her forehead against his back. The kids were quick to make their exit after that, leaving Haymitch to flop back down on the couch.

"Well that killed the mood." he grumbled.

"That was _mortifying_." Effie pointed out, sitting down gracefully beside him. "I forgot just how different they are from all the other tributes we've had. The others never ventured out of their rooms in the middle of the night." He snorted quietly but offered no further comment.

"Things are going to be very different this year, aren't they?" she whispered after a few minutes of silence. He sighed.

"Yeah sweetheart. Yeah, they are." he confirmed. He opened his arm when she moved to snuggle against his side, and he wondered what that said about him that it wasn't as terrifying as it used to be. After yet another few moments of silence between them, Effie lifted her leg and swung it over his lap to straddle him. His hands shot to her hips in a reflexive move, and she leaned in to press a kiss against his neck.

"Whatever happens...I am with you." she whispered against his skin, low enough that the bugs wouldn't be able to pick it up.

His only response was to tangle a hand in her mess of blonde curls and pull her into a kiss that was sure to leave her lips bruised.


End file.
